Oreo Cookies and Peanut Butter
by EneriRenie
Summary: [DISCONTINUED.] Chapter 5: Eriol's attempts at cooking. Will he succeed? Plus Tomoyo's mood swings, and a dinner date with Yamazaki and Chiharu. An AU ExT story.
1. this is what happens

Disclaimer: Why would anyone think I own any of these characters?! Ehem. I do not own any of the CCS characters used in this fic.

This is an AU ET fic. Which means, may have some OOC-ness. If you don't like ET, then go away! :P Just kidding! No wait don't go grabs you and ties you to a chair There. :P I am a HUGE supporter of ET, for reasons I cannot explain why. Maybe because Eriol is too damn handsome and Tomoyo is too damn beautiful. Ahhhh, the perfect pair Anyway, here goes……

**Oreo Cookies and Peanut Butter**

**Chapter 1**

Tomoyo ran down the street, her silver-gray her flying wildly behind her. Her eyes darted left and right, looking for the familiar figure of her boyfriend Darcy. She had called him a few minutes ago, asking him to meet her in their usual meeting place, in front of their favorite café situated in one of the quietest sections in town.

She plopped down on a bench and sighed heavily. She ran her fingers through her silky strands, patted her cheeks, clenched and unclenched her hands nervously, pulled at the collar of her shirt, finally smoothing out invisible creases on her skirt. An arm was sneaking up slowly about her shoulders. Immediately she turned around and wrapped her arms around a laughing Darcy.

"Sheesh, how come you always know that it's me?" Darcy smiled fondly, looking at the top of Tomoyo's head which was currently buried in his chest. He placed his hand under her chin to lift her face up. "Hey babe. Didja miss me?"

Tomoyo sat up and swatted his arm playfully. "We just saw each other last night, stupid!"

"Yeah, yeah, but I know you did anyway." She stuck out his tongue at him. "Anyway, what's up? You sounded urgent over the phone."

She visibly stiffened, her purple eyes going wide with anxiety. She didn't know how to say what she had to say to him. Gathering her resolve, she opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her, placing a finger on her lips. "Shh, I know what you're thinking, babe. Next week I'll be leaving to work in London and I'm not gonna be around for a year, but I swear I'll call you everyday and I'll try to come back for visits! So don't be sad…I say let's just enjoy the time we have left." He leaned down to kiss her but Tomoyo turned away.

"It's not that, Darcy…I mean…Darcy, don't go, please!"

"What the hell are you saying?!" He cringed, aware that he had spoken a little too loudly. Tears threatened to fall over Tomoyo's eyes. "Sorry for yelling…what are you saying, babe? We talked about this a long time ago remember? I thought you were okay with it and now you're saying…"

"Darcy, I'm pregnant."

A long silence followed. Tomoyo's head was bowed, hiding the tears that now flowed. Darcy sat in shock. It was a while before he stammered, "Pregnant…why, how…?"

Tomoyo looked up, suddenly angry. "God, what do you mean how?! I fucked myself and this is what happened!!! Or, let me see, I think it was the Holy Ghost!!!" she said, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

"Stop it!" he snapped, his face draining of color.

She took his hands and pleaded, "I'm sorry, but it happened! So please Darcy! Don't go! Don't leave me like this! You have to marry me!"

He looked at her like he couldn't comprehend what she was saying. His eyes, she noted fearfully, became distant and cold. He slowly stood up, letting go of her hands.

"Darcy, where are you going? Darcy…?"

She watched painfully as he turned back and walked away from her. "Darcy!!! Come back! Don't leave me!" she screamed. She was sobbing now, and she didn't care who heard her. Her boyfriend was actually leaving her. She thought he loved her…"DARCY!!!" He had now broken into a run. Just before he turned around the corner, she heard him yell back faintly, "I'm sorry, Tomoyo! I can't…"

Tomoyo was left on the street, crying her heart out.

A week had passed.

He's gone now, she knew. _The fucking bastard left me_, she thought numbly. That's all she was to him. For fucking. He fucked her and got her pregnant and now all the fun was gone so he left her. His going abroad was convenient. She had never felt so alone in her life. She loved him with all her heart and he did this to her. She never should've agreed to have sex with him. She should've known he wasn't any different from other guys. She seriously contemplated committing suicide, then remembered that she was carrying another life inside of her. The past few days was spent inside her room, crying.

She had to tell her parents, of course. She started crying again, imagining the look on her mother's face when she heard what happened. _I have to. _She wiped her tears and went out of her room, walking purposefully to her parents' bedroom. The huge house was eerily quiet. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and went in.

A shriek, a sob, and a slap broke the silence.

Amanda Hiiragizawa ran down the steps to open the door, which was practically shaking from the knocks coming from the other side. She stopped, wondering for a moment who could it be. Must be an emergency. She looked at their grandfather clock, which told her it was 6 'o clock in the morning. She listened curiously to the harsh voices that were speaking outside. Someone was sobbing. She opened the door and stared blankly at the three strangers standing on her front porch. "Yes?"

The man, who was scowling, demanded, "Where's your son?"

Amanda blinked, then became indignant. Who the hell does he think he is, barging into their house at 6 am looking for her son—she doesn't know which son yet—like her son was a criminal? She drew herself up to her full height and said icily, "Are you looking for Darcy or Eriol?" She sighed inwardly, thinking that Eriol had done something again. That no-good son of hers was nothing like his elder brother.

The man turned to the girl who was sobbing and snarled, "What's the name of that bastard?"

"Darcy…" the girl whispered.

"Wait a minute, who are you people anyway? What do you want with my son Darcy?" Amanda angrily said.

"I am Shinichi Daidouji, this is my wife Sonomi—" He gestured towards the harrowed-looking woman behind him, "and this—" he pushed Tomoyo towards Amanda, "—is my daughter Tomoyo, who happens to be your son Darcy's girlfriend, who happens to be PREGNANT!!!" He finished, his eyes practically bulging out of his head.

By now Amanda's husband, Edward, had come downstairs because of the commotion. "What's going on?!" Edward demanded, pulling his bathrobe closer around him.

Shinichi was almost beside himself. "Darcy got my daughter pregnant so now he has to marry her!!!"

"Why should he?" Amanda shot back.

Before her husband could shout again, Sonomi stepped forward. "Please, ma'am, sir," she said, bowing slightly. "It would be embarrassing for our daughter to be pregnant without the child's father…and besides it is also the responsibility of your son to—"

"Sex works two ways!" It was Edward's turn to shout now. "If my son and your daughter had sex, they would have to be aware of the consequences! Especially your daughter since she's the female!"

"Your son has to marry my daughter and that's final!" Shinichi yelled.

"We cannot allow that!" Amanda shrieked. "Besides, my son's not even in the country, he's in London!"

"I don't believe you!" Shinichi bellowed. "You're hiding him inside the house!"

Amanda stepped back and threw the door wide open. "Go ahead, go inside and look for him! See if you can find him!" By this time Eriol had woken up, going out of his room to the noises outside that jarred his sleep. He shuffled to the staircase, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Amanda was still shrieking. "Darcy is not here, I told you! The only son I have here is Eriol!" Eriol's head snapped up at the sound of his name. "You want my son to marry your daughter?! There, there's my son!"

Eriol knew he must've looked like a deer caught in headlights. No longer sleepy, he looked at the maddening scene before him before turning around and running back to his bedroom, slamming the door shut.

After hours of shouting himself hoarse without really going anywhere, Shinichi Daidouji dragged his family back home. Now they sat in the dining room, looking like a still-life painting. Although Tomoyo was trembling. She could hardly believe what happened back there, and hearing all the things that were said shamed her even more.

Shinichi suddenly kicked the chair in front of him. "Damn!" he swore loudly. Sonomi started at this, and Tomoyo burst into tears anew.

He turned to Tomoyo. "Why the hell are you crying?!" he screamed. "Wasn't this all your freaking fault?! Never in my life…god! What did we do to deserve this, Tomoyo?!"

Sonomi stood up and went to stand beside her daughter. Tears were running down her cheeks too. "Shinichi, stop it, please," she begged.

He grabbed a plate that was lying beside the sink and hurled it. It fell, shattering into a thousand pieces. Tomoyo flinched, sobbing loudly, her whole body trembling violently. She knew her father would never strike her, but his words had the same effect. "I worked my butt off to put myself where I am now to give my family everything—and this is how you repay me?!" Shinichi continued to shout. "I have a reputation to uphold! What will the people say about us now?!"

"Shinichi, _please_."

He sat back down again, burying his face in his hands. Both females were startled to hear a sob escape from his mouth. Shinichi Daidouji had never cried in his entire life. Tomoyo sobbed even harder. "We raised you the best we could, Tomoyo," he said brokenly, his voice muffled. "We swear to God we did. Now I ask you why, why…?"

Sonomi gently hugged Tomoyo and rocked her back and forth, crying herself. "Everything's going to be alright," she said so softly that Tomoyo barely heard her. "It's all going to be alright."

But Tomoyo knew it never will. _God, what did I do? I've destroyed my family…_

Amanda opened the door and almost closed it again, if Shinichi hadn't stuck his foot in. She glared daggers at him and said icily, "So it's you again. What do you want? I told you my son isn't here."

"He still has to marry my daughter," he said.

"Don't you understand?" she hissed. "If Darcy left your daughter while knowing she was pregnant, it means only one thing. Darcy doesn't love Tomoyo. If he does, he will stay."

"I'm willing to talk about all this in a civilized manner, if you please," he said calmly.

She sighed and opened the door wider, motioning for him to come in and sit down on one of the chairs. "Look, I can understand what your demands are. But Darcy can't marry Tomoyo and I'm sure he doesn't even want to."

Shinichi sat back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Didn't you say you had another son?"

"You mean Eriol?" she said, surprised. He nodded. "You mean, Eriol—marry Tomoyo?" He nodded again. She shook her head violently. "That's a preposterous idea! Eriol doesn't even know wh—"

"Let me make this clear for you," he said coldly, leaning forward. "I don't care which son marries my daughter. As long as _somebody_ from your family marries her, that's fine with me. If nobody will, I swear the next time we see each other will be in court."

And he stood up swiftly and walked out the door, leaving Amanda sitting there with her mouth hanging open.

"I WILL NOT!" Eriol bellowed the next day.

They were peacefully having breakfast when her mother suddenly said that he would be getting married. _Tomorrow_. Hearing this made Eriol leap out of his chair and stand away from his parents as possible. He came down feeling famished but now his appetite was nowhere to be found. He suddenly felt like throwing up.

"Yes you will," Edward said calmly while buttering a piece of toast.

"Why should I?" Eriol snarled, still clutching his table napkin which he began twisting in his hands. "If you say Darcy doesn't love this girl, well so do I! Because I don't even _know_ her! I haven't even _met_ her before! And—"

"Oh Eriol, quit your whining!" Amanda said. "This is the only way. If we you don't marry her, her father will bring this matter to court."

"No, no, no I won't, NEVER!" Eriol shouted, stamping his foot. He knew he looked liked a four-year-old throwing a tantrum but he couldn't help it. His future was going down the drain.

Edward wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it down. He stood up and slowly walked towards Eriol, who began to back up towards the shelves. "Look, son," he began in this no-nonsense voice. "Even if Darcy wanted to marry that girl, your mother and I won't allow that. I simply refuse to let Darcy throw his life away for that girl. She isn't worth it. Darcy's got a lot of things going for him, and marrying this girl will ruin it. You have to marry her to save your brother. If you don't we'll have a scandal in our hands and we certainly don't need one."

Eriol could feel his anger mounting as his father spoke. He felt trapped. To save his brother? _Give me a break!_ "Why me?!" he said furiously. "Why do I have to cover for him? Why do I have to clean up the mess he made?"

"Because he's your brother!" Amanda thundered. "Because he has better things to do in his life unlike you, who dropped out of college and is now living like a bum! Don't you know how scandalous that was for us, Eriol? We don't need another scandal! Darcy has been a dutiful son to us—"

"—And I'm not, right?" Eriol cut in, seething inside. His statement seemed to add, _for you I'm not. I never was, wasn't I?_

Amanda softened a bit. "Of course not, Eriol." _Yeah right_, he thought, looking down. His eyes began to sting with tears that he will never allow to fall. They will never know the times he spent eavesdropping in his parents' conversations. He knew he was the "black sheep" of the family. And he was, really. Just because he lived his life the way he wanted to, and not listening to them about what course to take up in college. Which was why he dropped out. It was funny, though, that it was their "dutiful son" Darcy who was now giving them this problem.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that," Amanda continued. "It's just that…since you aren't exactly headed anywhere right now, and you aren't focused on anything in particular, you seem to be the man for this—job. Please, Eriol. If not for Darcy, do it for us. Please."

Eriol slowly looked up at his mother's pleading eyes, then at his father's unwavering ones, sighing inwardly. Was there no way out of this?

By afternoon, everyone was invited to the celebration of Tomoyo Daidouji's marriage to Eriol Hiiragizawa.

A/N: hooooooeeeeee…..I am so inspired by Ekai Ungson's fics, so here I go!!!! Wheeeeee! I demand all of you to find her fics and read them right now! grabs Ekai's legs and hangs on for dear life Make me your student, Master Ekai! Uhm, anyway. Please review flames are accepted, but please not too flamy :P

The concept of this fic was taken from the TV show "Maalaala mo Kaya" yep! nods From one episode. Thank you Ate Charo


	2. damn

Disclaimer: Me? Own Clamp? I wish :P A/N: wheeeeeeeeee!!!!! Thank you so much to all those who reviewed!             ChibiSakuraAvalon – I LOVE YOU! Mwah! *glomps* thank you so much for being the first to review THIS fic ^__^ 

            BlueBerryAngel – I'm so masaya too! :P

            Kasumi Izukawa – Yup, "Maalaala Mo Kaya" is still alive ^__^

            Fuu - *gasps* I am _nothing_ compared to Master Ekai *lol* Ekai's going to kill me if she reads that I'm calling her "master" mwahahaha!

            ShoujoAngel – Yeah I know, but let's put it this way…Eriol's SO smart he doesn't need to go to college anymore ^__^ just kidding!

            Richelle – I'm hurrying! :P so here it is, the second chappie!

*****I forgot to say this. This fic is dedicated to The Great One, for being my first EVER reviewee (is that right? ) and for being so supportive. And to Mast—erm, Ekai for inspiration.

Chapter 2 

*****

The door of the apartment swung open and in came Eriol Hiiragizawa and Tomoyo Daidouji. They put their bags down and surveyed the place in silence. The apartment was huge, considering, and it was fully furnished with wall-to-wall carpeting. Eriol nodded in satisfaction.

      "Alriiiiiiiight," he said happily. He walked around and disappeared in the kitchens. Tomoyo was left standing there, lost in her thoughts.

_"Mother?" Tomoyo said. She and Sonomi were in her room, packing up all her things to be moved._

_      "Yes Tomoyo?" Sonomi replied. Her head was inside the closet, rummaging through Tomoyo's clothes. _

_      "Mother, what's it like…being married, I mean?"_

_      Sonomi popped her head out and looked at her. She went to sit beside Tomoyo, taking her hands. "Well," she started. "It's very different in your case, dear. I married your father because I loved him. Your marriage—well…"_

_      "Is a marriage of convenience," Tomoyo said quietly. _

_      "Don't worry, love." Sonomi squeezed her hands reassuringly. "It's going to be alright. The first step for your marriage to be a happy one is to get to know him, of course. Someday, you will learn to love him, I'm sure."_

_      Tears started running down Tomoyo's cheeks. "I'm scared, Mother. I'm married to a total stranger—god, I wish I didn't get married to him at all!"_

_      "Oh honey." Sonomi embraced Tomoyo, cradling her head in her lap. "This is all for the best. Besides, it was your father's wish." _

_      "Dad still hates me, doesn't he?" Tomoyo said tearfully, clinging to her mother's skirt._

_      "He doesn't hate you. You have to understand, Tomoyo. We all do. He was just very hurt. But he loves you very much, dear. And I do too."_

_      "Oh mother!" Tomoyo threw her arms around Sonomi's waist. "I'm so sorry I hurt you…I'm sorry…"_

"Wooooooow…" Eriol said in awe. "Mom and Dad thought of _everything_. Hey, come here and look at all this!"

      Tomoyo snapped out of her reverie and walked to the kitchen herself. She did a double take. "Wow is right. You weren't kidding." There was a stove, a microwave oven, a dishwasher, pans and pots, and…she walked over to the drawers and pulled them open. Checked the cupboards. Yep, everything. 

      Eriol opened the refrigerator and stuck his head inside. "Wow, even the fridge is stocked! Cool."

      Tomoyo flushed. _Oh my god. _Mr. and Mrs. Hiiragizawa paid for all this! She felt so ashamed and so very grateful at the same time. How can she repay them?

      Eriol finally turned his attention back to her. "So…" he said, suddenly looking and feeling awkward. He still hadn't got used to the idea that this woman standing in front of him was actually his wife. He made a sweeping gesture towards the whole place. "This is gonna be our home. What do you think, uhm…oh yeah, what's your name?"

      "Uh—it's Tomoyo. Tomoyo Daidouji," she added. She felt like fainting. _God, we're married and we don't even know each other's names! _"And you are…?"

      "Eriol Hiiragizawa." He stuck out his hand. She stared at it dumbly for a moment before stretching out her own hand, which he shook vigorously. 

      "Uhm, Eriol," she said. "I want to—thank you. For doing this. Well…you just don't know how grateful I am and I know you don't—"

      He grinned. "Oh, it was nothing, really. I was really contemplating on running away from home when you guys showed up. In fact, I should be thanking you for saving me."

      Tomoyo's mouth almost dropped open. _So that's why_. But still, it was nice of him. Eriol was digging for something in his backpack, finally pulling out a wallet. He took out several bills and handed them to Tomoyo. 

      "Here," he said. "Mom and Dad are going to give us allowances monthly. I divided it into two, and here's your share. I don't care what you do with your half, and don't inquire on what I do with mine. Okay?"

      All she could do was to nod dumbly. "Okay!" he said cheerfully. "I'm off. I'm going out, see ya later!" Picking up his backpack, he strode out the door.

      Tomoyo was still staring at the bills in her hand when she suddenly realized that he was leaving. "Hey, wait!" she cried out. Eriol was still walking away. "Where are you going? What am I gonna do here alone?" He just waved at her and disappeared around the corner.

      "Geez," she mumbled. She plopped down on the couch and stared forlornly at the television. _This is boring._ She didn't want to unpack just now. She turned the tv on and channel surfed for a while before turning it off. Sighing, she stood up and went to the kitchen, deciding to vent her energy on baking.

*****

Eriol tiptoed into the house, trying to be silent. He glanced at the clock in the living room—it was one o' clock in the morning. He was sure Tomoyo would be asleep by now. He went into the kitchen to grab a snack. Not bothering to turn on the lights, he almost stumbled into—

      "Tomoyo?" She stirred, but did not awaken. Eriol turned on the lights and he could see her sitting there, her head on her arms, sound asleep. He pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. "Tomoyo," he called, shaking her gently. She moved, raising her head a bit, her eyes still clouded with sleep. 

      "Eriol?" she questioned sleepily.

      "What are you doing out here?" he asked. "Why aren't you sleeping in your room?"

      She sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. She yawned, stretching her hands overhead, and stared at him groggily. "I was waiting for you," she explained.

      Something inside of Eriol stirred. "You…did?" How sweet of her. "But why?"

      She was looking at him in irritation now, but still sleepily. "What do you mean, _why_? I was waiting for you so I could open the door for you."

      "I have a key, you know," he pointed out. 

      She yawned again and slumped against her seat.

      "And you ended up falling asleep anyway."

      "What's your point? That my effort to stay awake and open the door for you was futile and I should never do it again?" She yawned.

      He smiled. "Yeah, something like that." He took her arm and tried to get her to stand up. "Come on, off to bed you go." She stood up, only to crumble on the floor. Eriol grabbed her and swept her off of her feet, walking slowly to her room.

      "You're heavy," he complained. He stiffened a bit when her arms wrapped instinctively around his neck. 

      "I'm not," she said, her voice muffled against his neck. "Probably because you're carrying two of us, anyway."

      _Huh? Oh yeah…_the baby. He almost forgot. That's why they're into this situation right now. He was struggling to open the door when he thought he heard her mumble something.

      "What did you say?" he grunted, finally turning the knob and kicking the door open. 

      "I said…" She lifted her face to his. He stared, as if he was seeing her for the first time. He realized that it _was_ the first time that he had looked at her closely. _God, she's beautiful. Why didn't I notice before?_

      "Yes?" he said nervously, walking into her room and putting her on the bed. He noticed that even if he wasn't carrying her anymore, her arms were still wrapped around his neck, keeping their faces close.

      She gave him a sleepy smile. "I stayed up because I wanted to make sure you were alright." She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she slid onto the bed, snuggling under the covers.

      He was stunned. Regaining his senses immediately, he reached down to tuck her in. "So you're still going to wait for me every night?" he whispered.

      She nodded. He grinned. "Next time, sleep on the couch, okay?" He kissed her on the forehead, this boy who never even kissed his mother in his entire life and squirmed under his mother's kisses. He made sure she was tucked in before turning to leave. 

      "'Night, Eriol." 

      He stopped by the door and turned around. "It's already morning," he said seriously, trying not to laugh.

      He could hear her mutter something into her pillow, and then "—oh alright, _'Morning_, Eriol then."

      He chuckled and went out, shutting the door behind him. He stood there for a few moments before realizing he was grinning like an idiot. _Maybe this marriage thing wouldn't be so bad after all. _With that, he went back to the kitchen to get his almost-forgotten snack.    

*****

Eriol slowly opened his eyes, squinting because it was already bright and sunny outside. He flopped back on his bed, trying to sleep some more. No use. He finally got up, stretched for a few moments before grabbing his towel and shuffling to the bathroom. He turned the knob, finding it locked.

      He knocked. "Hey!"

      "What?!" came Tomoyo's irritated voice over the sound of the shower.

      "Hurry up, I wanna use the bathroom."

      "Wait your turn, I was here first!" 

      He knocked on the door loudly a few more times to prove his point. An exasperated scream. "Alright, alright, I'm hurrying already!"

      _I like her better when she's sleepy. Better yet, when she's asleep._  He started to shuffle towards the living room when an ear-piercing scream cut through the air.

      "Eeeeeeeeek!!!! Eriol!!!! Heeeeeeeeelp!"

      He quickly went back to the bathroom, his heart pounding in his throat. "What's going—" The door of the bathroom flew open, revealing a shaking Tomoyo and lots of water coming out from the shower—where the shower used to be. "—on?" Eriol finished his question. 

      "Eriol, hurry, do something," Tomoyo whined. He hurriedly went forward to switch the shower off. 

      "It wasn't my fault," she said immediately. "I swear. I was about to turn it off when the shower came _off the wall_! I didn't know how it happened! It almost hit me on the head too, and…" she trailed off, realizing that he hasn't said anything in the past five minutes. 

      He wasn't looking at the mess at all. His eyes were glued to Tomoyo, who was still shaking. She was holding a towel in front of her body, and that was all. She didn't even have the decency to cover herself properly before screeching for him! The towel was covering only the front part of her body, and it was short, very short. He could already see a nice area of her long legs, and he was sure if he looked behind he would get a nice glimpse of her smooth—

      _I'm a pervert and I hate myself_, Eriol thought miserably. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. 

      "Uh—Eriol?" Tomoyo asked worriedly. She stepped forward, peering into his face. His eyes opened, and she was struck by the fury she saw in them.

      "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he roared. Tomoyo stood there, looking dumbfounded, still clutching the damned towel to her. 

      "Wha—"

      "OUT!" he roared. "Cover yourself and get OUT!" He grabbed a towel and pushed it towards her, then pushed _her_ out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

      "What was that all about?" she said aloud. She walked to her bedroom, feeling confused. It was only when she shut the door that she realized she was half-naked. _Oh. _She blushed. _But wait a minute—we're married, for God's sake. Why is he making such a big deal out of it?!_

"Goddamn man," she muttered, toweling her hair.

"Goddamn woman," Eriol muttered in the bathroom, and proceeded to bang his head on the wall.         

*****


	3. that's why

Disclaimer: I don't own Eriol *sobs* or Tomoyo or any of the characters used in this fanfiction. *hugs her PC monitor which has Eriol wallpaper in the desktop ^^;* A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I love them I love them I love them! And I love you guys! *hugs you all* Thank you especially to Kasumi Izukawa ^^ your review woke me up hehehe! Me having a bad attack of laziness, see ^^                 Thank you of course to my beta reader and booster, Caty-chan! YAY! ^_____^ 

      I know you guys have been wondering what's up with the title of this fic ^^ well in this chapter I think you'll find out!

      Also…I think this'll be the last chapter I'm gonna write in a long while…you see, sembreak's over, school started again *sobs* and I promised to myself too that I'm gonna finish "Revenge" before it ends…oh well…forgive me? ^_____^

This fic is dedicated to The Great One for being my first ever reviewee/reviewer…whatever… ^^ I love your fic, btw! The one called "Ballad of the Blues Sorrow", it's so interesting! Read it guys! ^^   Chapter 3 

*****

Nope, he never should have thought that things are going to be okay. The freaking woman was so frustrating! He doesn't think he can ever understand her. And what's scaring him is, that he even wants to. He supposed he should be more understanding, with her being pregnant and all. But hell, it's only been two months. And it's got nothing to do with that, anyway. Everything about her is so…weird. Intriguing. He's never met anyone who's so passionate in everything she does—passionate in cooking, in cleaning, in sewing, heck, even in watching television. He once came home and caught her yelling at the TV screen, apparently incensed at the villain in one of those ridiculous soap operas she was watching. 

      He constantly had to remind himself that they were actually married. The situation was still sort of awkward for him—how the hell do you treat a person you barely know who's married to you? Most of the time he leaves the house and just hangs out with his friends so he wouldn't have to deal with her. But there were times when he couldn't leave—like today.

      When he woke up that morning (it was near to noon actually), rain was beating hard against the windows. He got bored immediately. There was just something with the rain that makes one be lazy. He'd been moping around the apartment ever since. All the shows in the TV sucked, besides he didn't want to watch anyway, he didn't want to surf the net, he didn't want to read, he didn't want to go back to sleep, he didn't want to do _anything_—but he was bored. Currently, he was in the kitchen sitting by the table, staring at Tomoyo's back with his chin propped up in his hands while she was baking another batch of her to-die-for chocolate chip cookies. 

      "Does the back of my shirt have a hole now?" Tomoyo suddenly asked, turning around to face him.

      Eriol snapped to attention. "Huh?" he said, looking confused.

      She turned her attention back to molding the cookies again so he wouldn't see her smile. "I was just asking if my shirt has a hole by now, because you've been staring at my back for the past fifteen minutes."

      "I was not!" he vehemently said, blushing a bit because he got caught. 

      She raised an eyebrow. "You'd better not be staring at my butt, buddy."

      "What's there to look at?" he teased, although he _had_ been staring at that too. He couldn't help himself ever since that bathroom incident. 

      "Just so you know, I have a nice butt," she informed him.

      He does _not_ want to talk about this, especially when he was having perverted thoughts. "Can we please change the topic?"

      She grinned. "Anything you say." She put the cookies in the oven and walked over to the kitchen window to stare outside. "The rain's getting harder," she noted. "Bring out the flashlights and make sure they have batteries in case we have a power failure."

      "You sound like my mother," he commented, rolling his eyes. 

      "Well…" Her hands moved to touch her belly. It was getting to be noticeably large, but not that much. "I'm going to be one anyway." 

      He suddenly popped out a question he'd been meaning to ask for a long time. "Did you love Darcy?"

      Tomoyo looked startled at the unexpected question. She leaned back against the window and crossed her arms. "Why do you ask?"

      He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "I was just wondering why a nice girl like you would fall for a someone like him."

      She flashed him a smile, feeling a bit surprised. He actually called her "nice" without meaning to. Her smile turned into a frown as she thought of her answer. 

      "Actually…" she said slowly. "He was okay at first. Really sweet and caring, if you know what I mean. The devoted boyfriend stuff. I guess I did love him—but now I don't. I don't hate him either, but I don't want to see him ever again. Who am I kidding, of course I hate him. Your brother's an asshole." She slapped a hand to her mouth at that. That bit sort of slipped out. How can she say that about his own brother?

      Eriol wasn't angry at all; he was staring at her thoughtfully. "He charmed you, you mean to say?"

      "Yeah, something like that," she said, her cheeks pink because of her outburst. Then a thought rose in her mind. "It's my turn to ask a question."

      "Oh, you didn't tell me we were playing Twenty Questions," he grinned.

      She rolled her eyes. "Anyway…I was wondering about this myself…why did you agree to marry me, Eriol?"

      He didn't even need to think long for an answer. He looked right into her eyes when he answered, "Because I think my brother's an asshole too." 

      They stayed there for quite some time in the kitchen, smiling at each other.

*****

The rains stopped the next day. As usual, Eriol left the apartment and didn't return until it was quite dark. Tomoyo swears that one day she'll follow him so she'll know where he goes. She wished he would consider the fact that _she_ would be bored just hanging around the house all day too. Thinking about the past two months, they were actually getting along quite well now. It was her fault why he always goes away, she supposed she was trying _too_ hard to be a wife. They sort of had an unspoken agreement to start from scratch. Treating each other as friends—for now—was much better than trying to be husband and wife.      

      Eriol found her in front of the TV, feet propped up on the coffee table, holding a jar of peanut butter and munching on Oreo cookies. He sat on the chair beside hers to make her notice that he was there. It was hard to get her attention when she's watching those stupid soaps. 

      "Hi, welcome home," she said cheerily, eyes still glued to the screen.

      "Wow, nice of you to still notice I'm here," he said a little sarcastically. His gaze traveled to the jar of peanut butter, then to the package of Oreos. "What the hell are you eating?"

      "Huh?" she said, momentarily startled out of her concentration. She glanced down. "I'm eating the Oreo with peanut butter, why?"

      "Gross!" he practically shouted. "How can you eat something so…unusual?" He winced as he watched her pick an Oreo, swipe it over the peanut butter and put it in her mouth.

      "It's good!" she insisted, her mouth full. She pushed the jar towards him. "Here, have some."

      He leaned away. "Thanks, I think I'll pass."  

      "Come on! Just try!"

      "I'd rather not!"

      "You won't die, you know!"

      "No, I think I'll puke if I do." He crossed his eyes in effect. 

      She giggled. "Just try. Please?" She batted her eyelashes at him. He couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when doing that. He tried to look annoyed but failed.

      "Oh all right," he grumbled, reaching for a cookie. She grabbed it from him, "No, no, I'll do it, okay?"

      She swiped a generous amount of peanut butter on the Oreo before bringing it to his lips. He gave her a pitiful look before closing his eyes and eating the cookie. He kept his eyes closed while munching. 

      "Well?" she asked, poking him. "What do you think?"

      He swallowed soundly, finally opening his eyes. "It tasted…like Oreo with peanut butter."

      "So it tastes good!" she said triumphantly.

      "It tastes _weird_!" He pretended to gag. "Normal people eat their Oreo with _milk_, you know."

      "Yeah, I already know I'm not exactly normal," she grinned.

      Eriol rolled his tongue around in his mouth, trying to get rid of the alien taste. It didn't taste _that_ bad, it tasted pretty okay but he wasn't going to tell her that or she'll be stuffing his mouth with more, he's sure. "I think I'll just have some of those cookies you baked yesterday, with _milk_," he said, deciding to grab some food before joining her in watching TV. Maybe he can convince her to switch the channel. 

      He stood and then almost tripped. "Hey, what the—what's all this?" For the first time he had noticed that the living room was cluttered with—appliances? A toaster, an iron, a coffeemaker…

      "Oh, _those_!" Tomoyo's face brightened. "It's, um…"

      "You went shopping for secondhand appliances?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

      She shot him a strange look. "No, silly. This morning I decided to, like, take a walk around the apartment building. I met lots of people and I made lots of friends." She smiled happily before continuing. "We have such _nice_ neighbors, Eriol! Right next to us is Mrs. Bainbridge, I met her just as I stepped outside the door, she had so many groceries so I helped her get them inside, then she invited me for tea and we chatted then she mentioned that her iron wasn't working—down the hall lives Mr. Thomas but he wants me to call him Tom, his toaster's broken and he couldn't eat his breakfast without toasts—I also made friends with the doorman, Russell, and—"

      "His coffeemaker's broken?" Eriol guessed.

      "Yeah, you're right!" She smiled sweetly at him. "How'd you guess?"

      "The coffeemaker was the only item remaining," he mumbled.

      "What?"

      "Nothing." He cleared his throat. "So…since you took pity on their broken appliances, you decided to take them and fix them yourself?"

      "No, you're going to do that," she told him.

      "What makes you think I will?" he asked incredulously. 

      "What do you mean? I _know_ you can!" She stood up. "Don't play dumb with me Eriol. You fixed the shower so fast, I know you can fix things in a snap."

      Oh hell, she still remembers that incident—"How did you know I fixed it fast?" he retorted.

      "Because I counted like, only five minutes and then I heard you use the shower after!"

      He can't believe this. He can't believer _her_! She's so… "I'm not fixing them."

      "Why not?" She felt like stamping her feet in frustration. "I know you're good at it." She stopped for a moment and thought. She looked at him. "You're _really_ good at tinkering with things, aren't you? You want to be a mechanic or something…but your parents don't approve…and they made you take another course in college…am I right?"

      "Yes, yes, and yes!" he answered angrily. The way Tomoyo was reading him like a book was starting to scare him. "Are there any more things you'd like to know? Like how they forced me to take up medicine even if I don't want to be a doctor? How I flunked all my classes and skipped school all the time? How my parents hate me now? How they used me to marry you so both of us wouldn't cause any more trouble in their perfect lives?!"

      She was speechless. "Oh Eriol…" She didn't know he had such a sad life. She wanted to go over and hug him, but she didn't for fear that he'll push her away.

      He caught the look of sympathy in her eyes. It was the last thing he wanted. He turned away from her. "I'm not fixing those things, and that's final."

      "I—" She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to force you to…but I want to say this. I'm getting ashamed because your parents always provide for us. Maybe it's time we worked on our own too…you can prove to your parents that—" she stopped. Maybe this was not the right time to talk about this. She shot him a timid look. His back was still turned to her. "If you excuse me, I think I'll be returning these to their owners."

      He didn't move. Then he heard her sob. Oh God…was she _crying_? He turned around and faced her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. "Why the hell are you crying?" he demanded. He just realized how much he hated to see her sad. Someone like her should always be happy. His arm encircled her waist while the other brushed her tears away. "Please don't cry…all right, all right, I'll fix those stupid things…"

      "Who cares about those!" she burst out, still crying. "I wasn't crying over a few pieces of appliances! I was crying…" her voice dropped to a whisper, "…for you."

      His heart melted right there and then. He gently took hold of her chin and lifted her face to his. "You don't have to," he said, staring into her eyes. "I don't want to see _you_ sad, Tomoyo. You're always smiling and happy, seeing you cry freaks me out."

      She smiled shakily. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it." She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm really sorry, Eriol."

      When she pulled back, she found him still staring at her. Then he smiled. He looks so handsome when he smiles, she realized. He should smile more often too. 

      "Thank you," he whispered. Then he snatched her thoughts away when he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers before pulling away from her.

      "I'm just going to get my toolbox," he said before walking away. If he'd look into the mirror he's see that he was grinning like an idiot.

      Tomoyo was still standing there, looking dumbstruck. She raised a shaking hand to her lips. Then she realized her heart was thumping wildly in her chest, and she didn't know why.   


	4. yeah right

A/N: Huwaaaaaaaath?! I actually…_updated_?! *faints* Hehehe! It's been a long time! I've gotten some reviews practically screaming for updates :P and I finally did! Wheee!!! Anyway, really sorry I didn't get this going earlier. I was sort of thinking on not continuing this, because I've been really busy with schoolwork, hellish exams and not to mention professors from hell. But now it's summer vacation! WHOO-HOO!!!!! Don't worry, I'm going to finish this fic before I die, I promise! :P       And of course, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKYOU to all those who reviewed! To Dana Daidouji: yep, I got the Oreo and peanut butter idea from that movie. Its title is "The Parent Trap" here. Hehehe. And, no, I haven't eaten Oreo with peanut butter yet and I don't think I want to. ^^ For those wanting long chapters, ta-dah! This one's pretty long. I hope you'll all forgive me now for updating so late! Hee!   Chapter 4 

****

"So, Eriol…" Takashi Yamazaki drawled, twirling the basketball on his fingertip. "Eriol, my good ol' buddy, partner in crime, my best friend since I was six —"

      "Seven," Eriol corrected automatically. "When we were six you were still hanging around with that loser Gary."

      "Sheesh! How come you still remember that?! Forget it already, will you?" Yamazaki shook his head.

      Eriol smirked. "You were saying, good ol' buddy?"

      "Ah, yes. The topic at hand." Yamazaki took a deep breath and tried to say in a deceptively calm voice, "How come, in the—" he counted on his fingers "—twelve freaking years of friendship that we have, you _conveniently_ forget to tell me this insignificant little fact that you are _married_ already?"

      The sarcasm was not lost on Eriol. He decided to play dumb. "Eh—? Well…"

      "Well, WHAT?!" Yamazaki screamed.

      Eriol jumped away from him. "Whoa, control yourself, man. You screech like a girl!"

      "Answer my question," Yamazaki growled.

      Eriol raked his fingers through his hair, thinking. Yamazaki had just come back two weeks ago from a trip outside the country. Right after he arrived, Yamazaki called his best friend to get together, but Eriol had refused, saying he was busy. 

      The truth was that Tomoyo hadn't been feeling well that morning, and Eriol stayed home to take care of her. And after that little incident, he rarely left home, spending time with Tomoyo instead. She'd insisted that she felt fine already, but – well. They shouldn't take any chances. Tomoyo's condition was even more delicate now; she was nearly five months into it. What if something bad happened and she – and she _died_ or something?

      _Why do you care so much?_ he asked himself.

      _Because_, piped in another voice from inside his jumbled mind, _you just won't admit to yourself that you might be fall—_

      He shook his head violently to expel the evil voice. Then he realized Yamazaki was snapping his fingers in front of his face, saying, "Hello? Anybody there?"

      "Well…honestly, it's a really complicated story," Eriol said finally with a huge sigh. 

      "So, start talking now." Yamazaki now tucked the basketball under one arm. "Really, man, I was _hurt_ that you didn't tell me." 

      Eriol frowned. "C'mon, don't act all girly on me now! You were away, and this was all so sudden, and when you came back she was sick—"

      "She?" Yamazaki asked eagerly. "You mean your wife?"

      "No, I meant my pet goldfish." Eriol rolled his eyes. "Of course I meant my wife, stupid." 

      _My wife_. Eriol wondered why he suddenly felt all tingly when he said that. 

      Yamazaki gestured to the bleachers. "Let's sit over there and then you can tell me every single detail."

      "I thought we're going to play one-on-one!"

      "Later." Yamazaki proceeded to drag Eriol to sit down. Eriol plopped himself grudgingly onto a seat. 

      "Okay. Talk." Yamazaki leaned forward. "Wait, what do you mean your wife was sick? Is she okay now?"

      "Yeah, she's fine. It was just a bit of morning sickness, she said—"

      "_Morning sickness_? Do you mean to tell me that she's—"

      "Pregnant," Eriol confirmed. 

      "OH MY GOD!" Yamazaki yelled, his voice echoing throughout the whole court. "You've gone and DONE it! You've impregnated a poor, innocent girl and you were forced to—"

      Eriol grabbed the basketball from Yamazaki and threw it at his face. "SHUT UP!" he nearly yelled himself. "Go on and tell the whole world, why don't you?! And that's not what happened, if you could just shut your mouth and listen – god, you've really been with Chiharu for so long, you've turned gossipy like her…"

      "Hey!" Yamazaki said indignantly, though he was grinning. "Okay, I'm listening."

      "Are you really?" Eriol asked grumpily. 

      "_Yes._ C'mon!"

      "Well…" Eriol stopped, wondering where to start. "Anyway, yeah, she's pregnant. But see, it's not my child – it's Darcy's."

      "OH. MY. GOOOOOOODD!!!"

      Eriol stood up and started to climb over the bleachers to get away from his screeching friend. Yamazaki grabbed him just in time to prevent his escape. 

      "If you say 'Oh my god' one more time…" Eriol said threateningly. Yamazaki shook his head, clutching his sides from laughter.  

      Yamazaki wiped his eyes. "So," he said, smirking. "It was the sonofabitch's work, eh?"

      "Who else?" Eriol said grudgingly. 

      "Which brings me to my next question…if it was Darcy's problem, then why did you—?"

      "Marry her?" Eriol finished.

      "Yep."

      Eriol sighed heavily. "You know how it is at home, man. They didn't even ask me nicely or something – they practically _ordered_ me to marry her." He raised his voice to a high pitch, imitating his mother's. "It's because they didn't want to ruin _perfect_ Darcy's life."

      Yamazaki placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's _way_ unfair," he said sympathetically.

      "Tell me about it," Eriol huffed. "And Tomoyo – that's her – didn't even want to get married either. It was her father who raised all this ruckus, so…" he trailed off.

      Both boys sat silently for some time. Then Yamazaki said, "Eriol? Are you…like, going to stay married to her and take care of the baby and everything?"

      Eriol shrugged, stretching out his legs in front of him. "I guess so."

      _I don't want to leave her._

"Forever?"

      A small smile tugged at Eriol's lips, and he tried to hide it. He shrugged again. "I dunno."

      _Forever would actually be nice._

      Yamazaki studied his best friend closely. There was something definitely different about Eriol. He's – changed. It was creeping Yamazaki out. "Hey, buddy? What do you feel for her, honestly?"

      Eriol stared into space. What _does_ he feel for her? 

      _Honestly, I think I'm falling in love with her._

The unbidden thought appeared so out of the blue in his mind that it caused him to sit up straight, banging his legs on the seat in front of him. "Ouch!" he hissed, bending down to rub the sore spots. Yamazaki watched his friend's reaction with amusement.

      "Erm…can you please repeat the question?" Eriol asked lamely, fully aware that he sounded like a grade school student.

      Yamazaki chuckled, watching him closely. "Well, what I meant was – I know the situation was awkward for you two, so I was just wondering how you treat each other, y'know?"

      "Oh…well, we're more like best friends than husband and wife, really—"

      _LIAR!_ The evil voice taunted him. _Maybe you _used _to be! Don't you remember the time when you…_

      Oh, he remembered. It was last week…or was it just the day before…? Worried about Tomoyo, he had tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. Finally, he threw off his covers and tiptoed to her room. Careful not to make the door creak, he padded silently inside. He knelt by her side and watched her sleep for a long time. Before he left, he leaned forward, tucked some strands of hair behind her ear, his touch lingering on her smooth cheek. He whispered, "Good night," and started to stand up. Tomoyo's eyes flew open then, and she grabbed his hand. "Eriol…" she whispered. "Do you – can you…sleep with me? Next to me, I mean?"

      He stared at her, something wonderful welling up inside his chest. "All right," he had croaked. He walked over to the other side of her bed and climbed in gingerly. Tomoyo snuggled up to him, looking happy. "Honestly, I couldn't sleep," she said, closing her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking the covers carefully around them. Her breathing became even, and he realized she was already asleep. He closed his eyes then and drifted off himself.

      It was the most peaceful sleep he'd had in years.

      Eriol could feel his face burning at the memory, and he sincerely hoped Yamazaki didn't notice. "—it was a sort of agreement between us, y'know, since we barely knew each other, I mean we really _didn't_ know each other at first so we decided we should treat each other as friends because being married when we don't feel anything for each other is really weird, y'know, and I guess now – we pretty much know each other," he rambled, waving his hands agitatedly in front of him.

      Yamazaki raised an eyebrow. "And?" he prompted.

      "A-And…well, I like her a lot, she's not too difficult to get along with and I could consider her as one of my—" Eriol swallowed. "Friends."

      Yamazaki tilted his head to one side, staring at Eriol intently. Why the hell is his best friend _blushing_? Red as a tomato, as a matter of fact. He didn't know who Tomoyo is yet, but he will. There must be _something_ about her that makes Eriol turn into a huge pile of melted goo without him realizing it. 

      "So," Yamazaki said brightly. "Can I meet her?"

      "What, now?" Eriol asked, looking surprised.

      "Sure, why not? C'mon, let's go over to your apartment and introduce me to her." 

      Eriol crossed his arms. "You know, when you called me this morning you said, 'let's have a game, man' and not 'let's talk about your wife and then let's go home so you can meet her.'" 

      "Tch. You should've known I really didn't mean that!" Yamazaki said cheerfully.

      "Later," Eriol said firmly. "I want to play. C'mon, you're just scared I'll beat you!" He jumped up and grabbed the ball from Yamazaki.

***

"Tomoyo, where do I put these?" Sonomi called out to her daughter. 

      Tomoyo stuck her head outside the door. "Oh – you can use that pink hamper over there, Mother. Bring it inside and I'll take care of it."

      Sonomi gathered the clothes from the dryer and dropped them in the pink hamper that Tomoyo indicated. Then she went outside the laundry room, hoisting the hamper over one hip, and went into the kitchen where her daughter was. She placed the hamper on the floor and stood, just watching Tomoyo silently.

      Tomoyo had never looked this happy in months, Sonomi observed. When they parted months ago, she looked pale, withdrawn, and sickly. Now, there was a rosy glow to her cheeks, and a smile was constantly on her face. 

      Tomoyo tasted the sauce she had been stirring. Satisfied with the taste, she stirred a couple more times before turning around. "Oh, Mother!" she exclaimed. "How long have you been standing there?"

      Sonomi smiled softly. "Not long, dear." She walked over to Tomoyo and took her hands in hers. Suddenly she was overcome with pride for her daughter. "Tomoyo – I'm so proud of you!" she blurted out.

      Tomoyo's eyes brimmed with tears, and she threw her arms around her mother. Sonomi hugged her back. "I am, really," she said, beginning to cry herself. "I've never told you before, but I'm really, truly, _very_ proud of you."

      "M-Mother," Tomoyo sobbed. "I'm so glad you came to visit! I've missed you so much. You and Dad. Oh, why didn't he come with you? He's still mad at me, isn't he?"

      Sonomi pulled away and took out a hanky from her pocket, wiping Tomoyo's tears away. "No, your father's not mad," she assured. "But you know how stubborn he is. Much like you are, in fact. He said, maybe the next time I visit, then he'll come." 

      Tomoyo smiled shakily. "No, the next time it'll be us visiting back home!"

      Sonomi dabbed at her own eyes gingerly, then picked up the hamper again. "Now, where can I fold these?"

      "Oh – we can do it in the living room. I'll help, the stew is already cooked anyway."

      They both went into the living room. Sonomi started folding the clothes one by one while Tomoyo sorted them. Her underwear, Eriol's underwear; her shirts, his shirts; the pants and shorts. She would iron them later. They fell into a comfortable silence as they worked.  

      "So…how are things?" Sonomi asked. "Between you and you husband – Eriol?" 

      Tomoyo giggled. "I can hardly believe it, Mother, but things are actually okay! More than okay, in fact! Eriol's so nice, although I think he doesn't realize it. He tries to be real gruff sometimes, but really, he's such a softie. And just last week, I don't know what came over him but he actually _asked_ me to teach him household chores."

      Sonomi's eyebrows shot up. "He did?"  

      This time Tomoyo let out a peal of laughter. "I _know_! I could hardly believe it! He said it wouldn't be good for me to go about the apartment doing things, that I should be resting. Honestly, I'm still very much mobile, but he insisted. But I doubt I'll let him take over completely. The day before he tried to iron and burned my favorite shirt in the process!" 

      Tomoyo grinned widely at the memory. She was sitting on the couch that time with her feet propped up by mounds of pillows, reading a romance novel. Eriol approached her then, rather hesitantly. 

      _"Uhm, Tomoyo?" he said._

_      "Hmm?" she murmured, still engrossed in the story she was reading. _

_      Suddenly he was kneeling in front of her. "I didn't mean any harm, I swear!" He thrust a bunched-up shirt towards her. _

_      Puzzled, she took the shirt and held it in front of her face. And then shrieked. _

_      "NOOOOOOO!!! What the hell did you do?!" Eriol visibly cringed. "This is my favorite shirt, you know!!!"_

_      He looked chagrined. "Oh…no…it is?"_

_      Tomoyo continued to gape at her ruined shirt for a while. There was a rather large hole that went through both sides now. She put her hand through the hole and waved it. Suddenly the absurdity of the situation struck her, and she was overcome with giggles. "Well, _was_ my favorite shirt," she gasped, giggling madly. _

_      Eriol stared at her, shocked at her sudden change of mood. "Tomoyo, really, I'm sorry—"_

_      She now put the shirt to her head, poking her face into the hole. "All right, that's it! No more ironing for you, young man," she said, trying to look stern. Then she collapsed into fits of laughter again._

_      He leaned forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Tomoyo! You're…not mad?"_

_      She tried to stop giggling, managing to shake her head. "No, really, I'm not! Well, a little bit, I suppose. As long as you'll buy a replacement, then it's okay."_

_      He took the shirt and stared at the hole himself. Then he let out a loud bark of laughter. "GOD, what a hole!" _

_      They stared at each other, and then burst out laughing for a long time. _

Tomoyo's giggles slowly went away, and her face turned serious. She looked down at her lap. "Mother…is this – our marriage, I mean – is this really…forever?" 

      Sonomi frowned, looking concerned. "Why? Has something else happened? Something that you don't want to tell me?" 

      Tomoyo shook her head vehemently, making her raven curls fly about. "It's just that—" she shrugged. "I guess…there are other things I want to pursue in my life, that's all."

      "So…you…want to leave Eriol sometime?"

      _Leave_ Eriol? Tomoyo's eyes widened at that. "No…no, I don't want to leave him!" she said rather quickly. 

      "Then what?" Sonomi said, looking confused. 

      "Well…I can't explain, Mother. And I've been thinking – it seems rather unfair for him that he's stuck to me when there are other girls out there that he could meet…"

      Sonomi took this in slowly. "So…you want Eriol to meet and fall in love with somebody else?"

      Silence. Then, "No, not really…"

      Sonomi sighed. "Then what's the matter? Honestly, what peculiar thoughts you've been having, child. Is he showing any signs that he wants to leave you?"

      Tomoyo shook her head again, biting her lip. 

      Sonomi sighed again. "What do you feel for him now, anyway?"

      Tomoyo took a long time before she answered. "Well…I guess…I might be…starting to love him…a little…" she said in a small voice.

      Sonomi smiled broadly. "Really? That's _won_derful!"

      "No it's not!" Tomoyo burst out. "I – I don't want to fall in love with him…"

      Sonomi looked shocked. "Why ever not?"

      "I…It may seem selfish of me, but…I don't want to be in a marriage where _I'm_ the only one who loves the other. And being married to me can't stop him from falling in love with someone else, either…what if it _did_ happen and he—" Tomoyo dropped her voice to a barely audible whisper. "—leaves me…like his older brother did?" 

      Sonomi's heart ached for her daughter. _She's too young…she shouldn't be thinking about things like these in her age, if things were normal…_ She drew Tomoyo close and hugged her.

      "Tomoyo…whatever happens – if things don't work out, you know you can always come home. And we'll welcome you with open arms."

***

"Hey, isn't she supposed to buzz us in or something?" Yamazaki asked.

      "Nah. Won't be necessary, I have my own key anyway." Eriol produced the said key and opened the lock. "Hello?" he called out. "Tomoyo? Are you—Tomoyo!!!"

      Tomoyo was balanced precariously on a ratty-looking chair, humming to herself as she hung up the curtains that her mother gave. Sonomi had long since gone and returned home. At the sound of Eriol's voice, she turned around. "Oh, hi Eriol! I thought you'd come home later than this—"

      "Tomoyo, _don't_ move," Eriol said frantically. "You could—"

      At that moment, the chair began to wobble. "Uh-oh…" she squeaked.

      In a speed that Yamazaki thought was humanly impossible, Eriol reached Tomoyo's side and caught her in his arms before she could completely fall. 

      "Oof," Eriol grunted. She was getting heavier. He set Tomoyo on her feet, though he still held on to her. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" he bellowed.

      Tomoyo stared at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I was hanging up the curtains," she said as calmly as possible.

      "USING THAT – THAT CHAIR! CAN'T YOU SEE IT'S ABOUT TO FALL APART?! YOU NEARLY FELL, GODDAMNIT – WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU SHOULD'VE JUST WAITED FOR ME BEFORE DOING THAT! FROM NOW ON DON'T STAND ON _ANY_ CHAIR! YOU—" 

      "STOP YELLING AT ME!" Tomoyo finally screamed. Yamazaki looked on with great amusement at the red-faced couple, clamping his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.            

      Tomoyo looked at Eriol incredulously, not noticing that someone else was in the apartment with them. Eriol seemed to have forgotten that Yamazaki was there, too. "Honestly! What's gotten into you? You caught me, I'm fine and I'm not hurt. Everything's fine."

      "No, it's not!" Eriol said angrily. Then his face softened. "What if I _wasn't_ there when you fell?" he nearly whispered. "You – You could've died…the baby…you could've had a miscarriage…"

      "Oh, Eriol…" Tomoyo reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.  "Don't think like that! You were there, you caught me, we're all alive and that's all that matters." She grinned impishly at him.

      Eriol grinned back, though his heart was still thumping wildly in his chest at the near miss. "Okay. But, _god_, don't do that again!" The two stood there, grinning at each other.

      Yamazaki looked on, intrigued. He wondered if they were aware of how much of a married couple they look and act like. When the two still continued to stand there at grin at each other, he began to feel like an intruder. When he saw Eriol slowly bringing his face to Tomoyo's, he decided to make his presence known again. Yamazaki dramatically cleared his throat.

      Eriol and Tomoyo sprang apart like kids caught making out in the broom closet. 

      "Yamazaki!" Eriol growled, blushing to the roots of his hair. 

      "_What?_" Yamazaki said innocently. 

      "Eriol!" Tomoyo said indignantly. "You didn't tell me we had a guest!"

      Yamazaki walked over to them and stuck out his hand. "Hi. I'm Takashi Yamazaki, Eriol's best friend."

      Tomoyo shook it. "Tomoyo Daidouji."

      "Hiiragizawa," Eriol corrected, feeling a little hurt. Did she still think of herself as single?

      Tomoyo clamped a hand to her mouth. "Oops. Right. Tomoyo Hiiragizawa, I mean. It's still something I have to get used to," she said, smiling sweetly at Eriol. Eriol felt better immediately.

      "Oh, but you _must_ stay for dinner!" Tomoyo was saying to Yamazaki. "You could catch up a bit more. _And _you can tell me Eriol stories!"

      Yamazaki could see his friend looking horrified at the idea. He grinned. "I'd love to," he said, watching Eriol's facial expression range from horrified to murderous.  "But I'm going out tonight with Chiharu. My girlfriend," he added.

      "Oh, that's too bad. Some other time, then. What about next week?"

      "What about next week?" Eriol echoed, looking confused.

      Tomoyo turned to Eriol. "Let's invite them over next week for dinner!"

      "Them?" Yamazaki inquired, looking quite confused himself.

      "You and your girlfriend, silly! I'd love to have some girl talk with her," Tomoyo said happily.

      Yamazaki nodded. "Next week, then. I'm sure Chiharu will love that, too. It was nice meeting you, _Mrs._ Hiiragizawa," he said, putting heavy emphasis on the word "Mrs." and making Tomoyo blush. He winked at her cheekily, then nodded to Eriol. "Hey, I'll be going now."

      "Bye," Eriol said nonchalantly.

      "Eriol!" Tomoyo put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you going to see him out?"

      "For god's sake, he's a big boy, he knows his way down!" Eriol shot the smirking Yamazaki an evil glare.

      "No! You are going to accompany him like the supposedly good friend that you are. Go on!"

      Eriol stomped out of the apartment with Yamazaki at his heels. Yamazaki was laughing his head off. They reached the elevator, and Eriol stopped. "Surely you can go down by yourself?" Eriol asked with deceptive sweetness. 

      Yamazaki wiggled his eyebrows. "Ah, but your wife ordered you to accompany poor old me—"

      The elevator doors opened then, and Eriol shoved Yamazaki inside. "Bye, _buddy_!" he said loudly.

      "I love you, Tomoyo!" Yamazaki taunted in a falsetto voice. The doors closed before Eriol could reach in to strangle him.

      Yamazaki continued chuckling to himself, ignoring the looks of the other passengers. _No doubt about it,_ he thought. 

      Eriol Hiiragizawa is in love.


	5. growing up

Disclaimer: Oh come on, do I really have to do this? 

A/N: Ta-daaaaahhhhh! Here's chapter 5, YAY! I finally got around to actually finish it, thank God. Strangely, I got the urge to write it again after finishing the first chapter of my new fic, **Queen of Hearts**. Read that one too if you have the time *cough*plugging*cough* Ahem, anyway. This chapter has been graciously betaed by **KyteAura**-chan as my dear **Caty-chan** is quite busy at the moment ^^ (you still ROX, Caty-chan, good luck with your manga!) Oh by the way, she's going to make a doujinshi of Oreo ^^ isn't it great of her?! Yay!

Thank you so, SO much to all those who reviewed! They helped in waking me up ^^ And I'm really sorry for taking so long. Hopefully chapter 6 will get finished soon! Hehe! 

Chapter 5 

***

Eriol slowly opened his eyes, half-sitting up and blearily staring at his surroundings. Where was – oh. He was in Tomoyo's room. He couldn't remember the exact events that occurred the night before, but somehow he ended up sleeping with Tomoyo again. 

      He felt his face go warm at that thought. _Well it's not like Tomoyo and I were sleeping together, as in sleeping together, _Eriol reasoned inside his head. _We were just…sleeping. Together._

      That didn't make much sense. Eriol rubbed his eyes and turned over to reach for his eyeglasses on the night table beside the bed. And that's when he finally realized…he was alone in the room. Where was Tomoyo?

      And someone was retching in the bathroom.

      He ran to the bathroom and flung the door open. Tomoyo was bent over, coughing, her hands gripping the sink tightly.

      "Are you okay?" he said, his voice cracking. Stupid question. _Does she look like she's okay, you moron?_

      Tomoyo nodded, then quickly wished she didn't because the simple action made her head spin. She shut her eyes tight, taking slow, deep breaths. Eriol watched her in apprehension, having no clue as to what he was supposed to do. When the world finally stopped spinning, Tomoyo slowly opened her eyes and turned on the tap to splash water on her face. 

      Eriol grabbed the towel hanging on the wall and stepped forward, gently turning Tomoyo around so he could pat her face dry. She closed her eyes and sighed, leaning towards him. 

      "How are you feeling?" he whispered.

      She wrapped her arms around his waist before answering. "I'm fine," she said, resting her head against his chest.

      "Are you really?" he asked doubtfully. He reached up to stroke her hair. This was nice. Isn't it incredible how the mushiest moments can happen in the weirdest places?

      "_Yes_." A pause. "No."

      He gave a little chuckle. "Yeah."

      "I feel sick."

      "I know."

      "To be perfectly honest, I feel _really_ sick." Tomoyo buried her head deeper in his chest, smiling mischievously. "In fact, I feel so sick right now that I could barf all over your shirt." She stifled a giggle, expecting him to jump away from her. 

      He didn't move. Tomoyo raised her head to find him looking solemnly at her. "I don't mind if you barfed on me, if it'll make you feel better afterwards," he said seriously. 

      She laughed. "Silly," she said affectionately, deep down touched by what he said. "If I barf any more this morning, it'll be my guts coming out next."

      He frowned. "How do you feel, _honestly_?" 

      "I don't feel like throwing up anymore, but I'm rather dizzy and my head aches." 

      "Come on, let's get you out of here." Eriol guided her out of the bathroom. 

      Tomoyo groaned. "Ohhh…the world is spinning again…"

      He looked at her worriedly. "I'd carry you, but now I'm too afraid that I might drop you and break your neck or something."

      "It's okay." She smiled at him weakly. "Where are we going?"

      "Back to your room, of course."

      She gasped, her eyes going wide. "SHIT! I haven't made breakfast yet! Turn around, lead me to the kitchen—"

      "No way!" he said vehemently. "Are you crazy?! You can't even stand up properly and you're thinking of making breakfast. God." They reached her room, and Eriol pushed the door open with one foot. "I'll make it, okay?"  

      Tomoyo giggled as she slowly sat down on the bed before lying down. "Are you sure? I don't want to be poisoned."

      Eriol gave her a look of feigned hurt. "I can fry stuff, you know!" Tomoyo just stared at him with wide eyes, her eyes sparkling with mirth. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her in the eye. "Listen, I'm doing everything today."

      "You don't have to, I—" she started to protest, but he cut her off.

      "No. Listen to me – I really shouldn't allow you to do so many chores around the house even if you want to—" he raised his voice when she opened her mouth to protest again, "—because…well, you're tiring yourself too much. Let me do everything today. Even just for today, okay? You – you just stay here and rest. Alright?"

      Tomoyo could feel her heart swelling as she stared at the man in front of her. He was…a jumble of words came to mind – devilishly handsome, incredibly smart, talented, mischievous, sweet, kind, caring – but to sum it all up, he was…amazing. Her eyes welled up with tears of joy, and she nodded quickly to prevent him from seeing them. 

      He grinned. "I'll be back in a few minutes."  

      Eriol went to the kitchen, humming a tune under his breath. He wasn't kidding her – he really does know how to cook. Only when it comes to frying, though. All the other stuff – baking, broiling, whatever – he didn't have any idea. In no time at all, the bacon and eggs were fried, the bread toasted (rather perfectly, he noted with pride.) He went on to make fresh-squeezed orange juice. He arranged everything on a breakfast tray, adding a small vase of flowers (the plastic ones) for effect. He stepped back to admire his work. _Not bad._ He picked up the tray and carried it carefully to Tomoyo's room. 

      She was dozing lightly when he entered, and woke up immediately at the sound of the tray being placed on the night table. Her eyes widened. "Wow, Eriol…I…"

      "Ta-dah!" he said triumphantly. "Your breakfast, mademoiselle." 

      "I think you made too much," Tomoyo said, picking up the fork and sampling the eggs.

      He picked up the tray again and settled it on the bed between them. "Correction, then. It's _our_ breakfast."

      She giggled. "Good." 

      They ate noisily for the next moments. For some reason, Tomoyo kept giggling once in a while. (She was still pretty tickled over the fact that Eriol made breakfast.) And Eriol insisted that he be the one to feed her. (Tomoyo: "You're crazy. Oh, fine. Only if I get to feed you, too!") She looked up one time to find his mouth covered with breadcrumbs, sending her into another fit of giggles. 

      She leaned over and wiped the crumbs away with a napkin. "Honestly, you eat like a pig, Eriol," she teased, causing him to throw a tiny piece of bacon at her and thus starting a mini-food fight between them.

      Tomoyo had picked up the glass of orange juice and was drinking blissfully when she happened to glance at the calendar hanging by the door. She saw the date marked red and spluttered, sending juice flying everywhere.

      "What's wrong?!" Eriol asked in alarm, moving closer to pat her back. She shook her head, unable to say anything for the moment as she coughed, thumping her chest with one hand as the other held the glass tightly.

      When her coughing had ceased, she drank a bit more of the juice, set down the glass, buried her face in her hands and wailed. "Oh nooooooooooooo—"

      "What? _What?_" Eriol asked confusedly. "What's the matter?"

      Not looking up, Tomoyo pointed to the calendar as she continued to sob. 

      He left her side to peer at it closely. August 20. That's today…"Dinner…with…Takashi Yamazaki and…Chiharu Mihara…" he read. "Huh?"

      "It's today!" she shrieked. "They're going to come over here tonight and have dinner with us! Have you forgotten? I can't _believe_ I forgot! I was going to cook for all of us but now I can't because I can't even stand up without the world shifting under me and—"

      "Tomoyo," he began, suppressing a nervous laugh. Uh-oh, mood swings. He hoped he could handle it. "It's okay!"

      "It is so NOT okay," she raged, glaring at him. "Who's going to cook now? Don't tell me we're going to order out! I _hate_ ordering out—how could have I forgotten?! Oh my god…Eriol, call them and tell them maybe we should move our date…tomorrow, I don't know…when I'm actually feeling alright!"

      He sat beside her again and gently drew her into a hug. In an instant, all the fight went out of her and she clung to him, sobbing. 

      "Try not to stress yourself too much," he said softly, running his hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her even more. "We don't want what you just ate to make an appearance, now do we?" 

      "Thank you so much for reminding me about vomiting," Tomoyo said sarcastically, her voice muffled beneath his shirt.

      "We can't change the date of our dinner with Yamazaki and Chiharu now," he reasoned. "If we're going to change it, we should have done it days ago. They might have other engagements on other days, which is why they agreed to this date." 

      "But…but…" she looked up at him, teary-eyed. "Who's going to cook our dinner?" 

      He went still for a few moments. Then he said, with a huge sigh, "I will."

      "You will?" 

      "Hey, I cooked breakfast, remember?" He gave her a grin. "Dinner should be a piece of cake. And remember, I told you I was going to do everything today. You're still going to stay here and rest."       

      She wiped her eyes and smiled at him happily. "Eriol…" She buried her face in his chest again. "Thank you." 

      He hugged her back, heaving a huge sigh of relief. Mood swing abated. Whew.

      _Now on to the harder part,_ he thought. _The actual cooking…_

****

Eriol frowned thoughtfully at the cookbook propped open in front of him. 

      "Peanut Chicken," he murmured, tracing the words with a finger. "8 half boneless chicken breasts, skinned…check. Vegetable oil…check. A can of stewed tomatoes…check. Garlic powder…check. Ginger…red pepper…check. And last…peanut butter. Check." He blinked. "Peanut butter?" He laughed aloud. "Honestly, what is it with that woman and peanut butter?" 

      Other items: spoons, cooking oil, skillet – check. "Ready to roll," he announced to no one in particular. 

      "Eriol?" came Tomoyo's faint voice from her room. "Is everything okay?" 

      He sighed, shaking his head. "Yes!" he called back. "The kitchen's still standing." 

      "_Don't_ joke," she yelled hoarsely.

      "Relax! Everything's fine. I told you to sleep!" No more sounds came from her room, although he heard a faint thud. He grinned, sure that she threw something against the wall.

      He turned his attention back to the cookbook. "'In large skillet'," he read slowly, "'cook chicken in oil over medium-high heat about 4 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from skillet.'" He scratched his head. "Okay…that part looks easy. Hmm. 'Add tomatoes, garlic, ginger and red pepper to skillet, cook 2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter.' Ugh. Maybe I should just leave the peanut butter part out? Nah, she'll definitely be mad. 'Return chicken to skillet; heat through. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and peanuts, if desired.'" 

      He scratched his head again, frowning more deeply. "That's it? No other instructions?" He squinted at the picture of the finished dish in the book. "Sounds easy to make…and looks delicious…I wonder if I can cook it to look like THAT?" 

      He rolled up his sleeves determinedly and donned an apron. "Here goes nothing," he said aloud.

****

"Um, Eriol…" Tomoyo squinted at the plate, looking peering at the objects more closely. "Is this…the chicken?"

      "Yes," Eriol moaned. His head was leaning against the refrigerator door, where he had been banging it for the past few minutes. 

      She popped a piece of the so-called chicken in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Eriol lifted his head to look at her reaction with trepidation. 

      Tomoyo swallowed. Then she smiled cheerfully. "Still tastes like chicken!" 

      Eriol moaned loudly and proceeded to bang his head on the door again. 

      "Stop doing that," she ordered. "I mean _it_."

      He stopped.

      "Don't you know banging your head around reduces your brain cells?" she scolded. "Look. It really does taste okay. In fact," she looked around. "You did everything pretty right. Well, except that you burned the chicken—"

      "I did fine?" he said, brightening. 

      "Yes," she reassured. "Really. We just have to scrape off the burned marks and it'll be okay. Although…" she trailed off thoughtfully. "The chicken you cooked properly is just about for two people…" 

      He sighed, staring at the totally burned chicken in the trashcan. "Is there any more chicken left?"

      She shook her head. "No. And it's too late for that." She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed deeply. 

      "What?" he said, watching her.

      She shrugged. "I guess this means I have to submit myself to the evils of take-out?" 

      "Alright!" he said happily. "What's so evil about ordering out anyway?"

      "The ordering itself," she replied, making a face. "I hate ordering on the phone. For some reason me and the person on the other end of the line always end up shouting at each other." Then she perked up. "You know what? I'm craving for pizza."  

      He laughed. "Sounds okay. Leave the ordering to me, then," he said, walking out of the kitchen to get the cordless phone.

      "Eriol?" she called out. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

      "What?" he asked, punching in the phone number of the pizzeria down the street. 

      "You have to clean the kitchen up," she reminded him sweetly. 

****

"That dish was delicious!" Chiharu proclaimed.

      "Eriol made it," Tomoyo said proudly.

      The Peanut Chicken was the first thing Eriol and Tomoyo's guests had devoured before they all attacked the pizza. And Eriol hadn't even _tasted_ what he cooked—but if they deem it good, he wasn't complaining at all. 

      Yamazaki choked on the Coke he was drinking. "Seriously?!" He glanced at his best friend, who was quite pink in the face and looking pleased. "I actually _ate_ something Hiiragizawa cooked, and I'm still alive?" He shook his head. "Wow."

      "Hahahaha," Eriol said sarcastically, but he was grinning.

      "Wow is right," Chiharu agreed. "I didn't know you knew how to cook, Eriol." 

      "Actually…" Eriol said, trying to look modest. 

      "It was more like trial and error," Tomoyo supplied helpfully. 

      "Right." He stood up. "Are you all finished? Why don't you two—" he nodded to the women, "—go into the living room while we clear the table and wash the dishes?"

      Chiharu's mouth dropped open, and Yamazaki choked once more on his drink. Tomoyo opened her mouth to protest, but Eriol shook his head warningly at her. "Remember what I said, Tomoyo…" 

      She rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine! If you insist on becoming a total slave…Let's go, Chiharu!" 

      The other woman recovered from her initial shock and gave Eriol an approving smile. Then she shot her boyfriend a wide, amused grin before following Tomoyo out of the kitchen.

      Eriol had just about cleared all the plates from the table when Yamazaki finally stopped coughing. "Eriol, you've totally flipped," he gasped out. "Clear the table? Wash the dishes? And to top it all off, YOU, _cooking dinner?! _ Oh my god. Oh my freaking god—"

      "Cut it out!" Laughing, Eriol threw the dishtowel right at Yamazaki's face. "Shocked, are you? There's always a first time for everything, y'know."

      "But—but—" Yamazaki sputtered. "That was too many first times!" 

      Eriol didn't reply as he cleared the table all by himself, bringing all the dishes to the sink. Yamazaki stomped toward him and, grabbing the soap and sponge from him, began scrubbing the plates vigorously.

      "Okay," Yamazaki said, as _squoosh, squoosh, squoosh_ went the sponge in his hand. "I get it. About the first times, I mean. I _totally_ understand. But you've got to admit it, buddy. You can't deny it. _You are in love with her_."

      Eriol nearly dropped the plate he was wiping dry. "What?!" This time it was he who was sputtering. "That—that—that—"

      "—is absolutely true," Yamazaki said triumphantly, starting to soap the dishes in a less vigorous manner. 

      "It is—"

      "—'NOT'?" Yamazaki raised his eyebrows. "Was that what you were going to say? Okay, c'mon, tell it to my face." 

      Eriol just turned an interesting shade of red and didn't say anything.

      "See?" Yamazaki crowed. "Honestly, I dunno why you can't admit it to yourself. What's so wrong about falling in love with Tomoyo? First of all, she's a total babe." He grinned when Eriol glared at him for that statement. "Well, she is. Don't tell me you haven't noticed. I mean, you, the total pervert who first introduced me to triple-X videos. Okay, she's pregnant now, but she's still a knockout. Second, I've only known her for a short time but she makes me feel like we're old friends. Definitely nice. And she's not nice in the grandma kind of way. I mean, there are times when she can be really sassy, you know. Lastly, Chiharu likes her, and that's saying something."

      He sighed when Eriol was still unable to form a coherent word. "So," he continued, "I don't think it's a crime if you love her, you know. Although…" he trailed off. He scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "I guess I could understand what you're thinking about. I mean, your situation is really bizarre, isn't it? Tomoyo was your brother's girlfriend whom he got pregnant, then he totally turned tail and ran off and left her, then her father was all seething mad and demanded that your brother marry her, but your parents didn't want to and he didn't want to as well, then her father was going to sue all of you so your mother persuaded YOU to marry her and you, like the total imbecile like you are actually AGREED and it didn't even occur to you then that you've only spent eighteen years on this earth before throwing it all away by getting married to someone you didn't even know…then you guys actually got along, and slowly but surely you became reeeeeally close to each other and then this time comes when you have actually fallen in love with each other." Yamazaki finished his speech, not noticing he had been soaping the same glass for about five minutes now. 

      "I—" Eriol finally managed to say. He shook his head. "It…it's too…early"

      "Early for what?" Yamazaki inquired, still holding the same glass.

      "Early…to say that we're in love with each other," Eriol said in a quiet voice. He stared at the dishtowel in his hands. "I…I don't know. I really don't know. Right now I can't say that I love her…but I can't say that I don't, either." 

      Yamazaki gazed at his friend seriously. The change in Eriol was shocking, yet…pleasing. "You've grown up, buddy."

      "Yes," Eriol smiled, thinking of Tomoyo. "I certainly have." 

A/N again: The "Peanut Chicken" recipe is real, I did not make it up. (Kyte has even eaten it before—I haven't :P) I got it from our Del Monte Kitchen Recipe cookbook. Tomoyo, Eriol and all others are OOC as usual…I think. Reviews, as always, make me very happy ^____^  

Btw, somebody asked if Eriol and Tomoyo are in college or something. No, they aren't. Tomoyo used to, but then she got pregnant and her father was so mad so she isn't going to college anymore. And Eriol dropped out because he didn't like his course. His parents want him to be a doctor but he wants to be a mechanic. ^__^ Weird, I know, but I'm just following the story based on what I watched in TV. The couple are living off on the money sent by Eriol's parents (their family is filthy rich). 


End file.
